Rheaply Partners with the City of Chicago and World Business Chicago to Facilitate Affordable PPE Access for Local Small Businesses and Nonprofits

The initiative, Chicago PPE Market, will give Chicago businesses access to PPE suppliers and manufacturers

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#COVID19—Rheaply, a climate tech leader that combines a resource-sharing network with a user-friendly asset management platform, in partnership with the City of Chicago and World Business Chicago, has launched Chicago PPE Market, a program to facilitate access to personal protective equipment (PPE) for Chicago’s small businesses and nonprofits.

As the city prepares to enter the next phase of reopening, many organizations are faced with the challenge of affordably acquiring supplies to help protect their workers from contracting or spreading COVID-19. To avoid supply chain bottlenecks and health risks, it is critical that these organizations gain access to these resources through a streamlined process.

To support safe and efficient reopening, the City of Chicago will enable access to protective shields, reusable face masks, and hand sanitizer through Rheaply’s Asset Exchange Manager (AxM)™ at cost-controlled rates. Starting today, Chicago-based small organizations can sign up to use the platform for free, which will connect them with a network of local manufacturers and suppliers of these protective supplies. With Chicago PPE Market, small businesses and nonprofits can easily and affordably access the equipment and supplies necessary to keep staff and customers safe. The platform will go live on Tuesday, May 26.

“I want to express my gratitude to our entire city, especially local businesses such as Rheaply, for their commitment, dedication, and sacrifice during these past few months,” said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “The strength and mettle of our communities has really shown through during this crisis and given me renewed hope every day that not only will we get through this, but we’ll come out of it stronger, better, and more powerful than we’ve ever been.”

“I had reached out to tons of vendors, but it’s been difficult or impossible to find basic supplies like masks, barriers, and sanitizer,” said Karol Kocemba, owner and founder of Resistance Chicago, a new gym that was scheduled to open for the first time in March. “Now that we’re going to open, it’s great to have a platform that connects businesses with the supplies we need, because it’s critical to have these resources.”

“Reopening this city safely means working together,” said Garry Cooper, CEO and Co-founder of Rheaply. “As a Chicago small business ourselves, we are committed to helping protect our community; using our technology to help other organizations access affordable protective supplies is how we’re putting that commitment into action.”

For more information about Chicago PPE Market and to sign up, please visit www.chicagoppemarket.com.

About Rheaply

A leader in the circular economy, Rheaply (pronounced REE-plee) enables companies to share and sell physical assets within and between organizations on its modernized asset management platform. With Rheaply’s Asset Exchange Manager (AxM)™, organizations in a number of verticals, including higher education, healthcare, technology, government, and retail, can gain transparency about and utilize available assets, which enables them to decrease procurement costs, storage costs, and unnecessary waste. To learn more about Rheaply, visit rheaply.com or follow @RheaplyInc.

About World Business Chicago

World Business Chicago (WBC) is a public-private, non-profit partnership that drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city. Launched in 2012 and governed by a council of tech and innovation leaders, ChicagoNEXT is WBC’s dedicated initiative to drive inclusive growth and opportunity for Chicago’s technology and innovation ecosystem. Their portfolio of programs include ThinkChicago, the Chicago Venture Summit and the Blackstone Inclusive Entrepreneurship Challenge.

Contacts

Rheaply Media Contact
Delilah Bennett

3Points Communications

312.725.7950, ext. 701

delilah@3ptscomm.com

City of Chicago Media Contact
Mayor’s Press Office

312.744.3334

press@cityofchicago.org